Seedless lychees grow in Cangnan. [Photo/66wz.com]
Inspired by the Tang Dynasty (618-904) courier in hit drama The Lychee Road, modern-day "Li Shande" in Zhejiang are breaking geographic and seasonal limits to bring fresher food to the table — with science as their steed.
In Cangnan, Zhejiang's southernmost county, three generations of researchers have turned the dream of "southern lychees, northern growth" into reality. Led by Li Fayang, new grafting techniques, cold-resistant varieties, and greenhouse innovations have helped expand lychee farms to over 3,000 mu (200 hectares). Harvested off-season, Zhejiang lychees now sell for up to 120 yuan ($16.7) per kilogram, five times more profitable than traditional crops.
In Cixi, farmer Mao Chunmiao pioneered fresh bayberry exports in the 1990s. Building on his work, Zhejiang Xuebolan Technology Co developed mobile cold-chain trucks that rapidly cool fruit while in transit. Their bayberries have traveled 4,800 kilometers to Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and even to London, with minimal loss in quality and higher selling prices.
Zhejiang's freshness revolution extends to seafood too. In Zhoushan, ultra-low temperature freezing with liquid nitrogen preserves the taste of crab as if just caught. Elsewhere, improved packaging and cooling methods now keep delicate lotus seeds fresh for up to a week.
From lychees to lotus roots, these innovators are using agricultural tech to challenge nature's limits — delivering flavor across seasons, regions, and even continents.
